Informing the discussion around oil sands

March 12, 2015

Energy’s war of words

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind,” wrote English poet Rudyard Kipling almost a century ago. A look at today’s polarized energy discussion suggests Kipling’s insight to be true.

Words matter in any debate, regardless of the subject matter. As we know from the study of semantics, word meanings are interpreted differently by different people. Our personal beliefs, opinions and superstitions are among countless factors which shape our use and interpretation of language.

Loaded terms

Language’s importance is not lost on energy debate participants. Like duelists choose weapons, words are carefully selected with much thought about intended meanings and how the message will be received by others. Words seen as useful in advancing preferred perspectives are embraced. Less impactful words are ignored.

Tar sands and oil sands

You don’t have to be a linguistic scholar to pick out examples in the energy debate. “Oil sands” versus “tar sands” is perhaps the most obvious. Check out the table below to see how different language describes the same aspects of oil sands and energy development. Reading the list could evoke an emotional response. If you’re like us, seeing a particular word might even make you want to change it or debate its use.

Neither approach is superior to the other. Unfortunately, though, it appears semantic techniques can get in the way of a constructive debate. They can encourage entrenchment and impair openness to new ideas and solutions.

Dropping semantic weapons of choice might be hard to do, but recognizing and understanding word meanings might help us get to a better place – one of productive dialogue.

Semantics in the energy debate

What it is …

Some call it …

Others call it …

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced through the production, transmission and consumption of fossil fuels

Comments

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind,” wrote English poet Rudyard Kipling almost a century ago. A look at today’s polarized energy discussion suggests Kipling’s insight to be true.

Oil Sands Question and Response (OSQAR) is a blog created by Suncor Energy to support constructive dialogue about the oil sands. In our weekly posts, we talk about the energy industry, environmental impact, tailings management and reclamation, water management and the social and economic implications of oil sands development.

Our oil sands operations are near Fort McMurray, Alberta, where we recover bitumen from oil sands through mining and in situ operations. The bitumen from both operations is then upgraded to refinery-ready feedstock and diesel fuel. More about the where and the what of the oil sands can be found on our oil sands resource page.